Council adopts mini pig pet ordinance

Good and bad news for pig enthusiasts in Benicia. The bad news is they still cannot fly. The good news is the Benicia City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance that would allow miniature pigs to be kept as pets within the city limits.
Although the ownership of mini pigs is still not legal in many cities, a growing number of communities are adopting ordinances that would allow them to be kept as pets. At the request of several Benicia residents, the city considered moving forward with an ordinance of its own. With the assistance of Benicia resident Kristin Moore, city staff drafted an ordinance using similar legislation to those in Fairfield and Vacaville.
The ordinance defines a miniature pig as “a cloven-hoofed animal, also known as Juliana, Vietnamese, Chinese, or Asian pot-bellied pig which is domesticated, does not exceed 22 inches in height at the shoulders and does not exceed 100 pounds in weight.” The decree would limit the ownership of pigs to two, requires them to be on leashes in public, requires pigs older than 4 months to be spayed or neutered, and require licenses for the animals which would be obtained through the Benicia Police Department.
Councilmember Mark Hughes asked if the licensing requirements were in line with what the city required for dogs. City Attorney Heather McLaughlin said the licensing and leashing requirements were similar to what the city does for dogs.
Vice Mayor Steve Young asked if there was a difference between miniature and pot-bellied pigs.
“This ordinance would apply to the animals as we’re defining them,” McLaughlin said.
Young noted that pigs can grow much larger than 100 pounds and suggested that the weight level may need to be changed.
Councilmember Tom Campbell asked if size were really all that important, as he felt there were not a lot of differences between small and large pigs.
Mayor Elizabeth Patterson suggested putting in the ordinance that an applicant demonstrate knowledge of miniature pigs before obtaining a license, citing a National Geographic article.
“They’re saying the buyer needs to be aware that they have to deal with responsible breeders,” she said.
Marcie Christiansen, the president of the California Potbellied Pig Association, agreed with a lot of the sentiments expressed by the council, including Campbell’s comments on the size guidelines. She told the story of a pig that she rescued three years ago that initially weighed 300 pounds before he dropped down to his current weight of 150 pounds.
“He has now become the best pet ever,” she said. “He lives in our house, he’s wonderful, he’s happy, he’s adjusted, he causes no problems, but if he were in Benicia with this ordinance, he would not be allowed to live here. That means he probably would have been killed by the shelter.”
Christiansen also spoke out against breeding miniature pigs or keeping them in apartments or condominiums.
“They have to have a yard,” she said.
Additionally, Christiansen suggested making neutering mandatory but only allowing the spaying of a pig if a veterinarian deemed it safe. The reason was that spaying can often be dangerous for the pig, and very few vets will spay pigs large than 50 pounds.
Moore, a licensed veterinary nurse and Benicia resident who owns a mini pig and assisted with the ordinance, affirmed her support at the meeting. She said the size requirement was intended to exclude the possession of farm-size hogs in homes, but she would be willing to compromise on the weight restrictions.
“Requiring spaying and neutering is important,” she said. “It protects kids, and it protects the city. The ordinance does overall encourage strong ownership of pigs.”
Moore also noted the benefits of having pigs as pets.
“They’re trainable and smart,” she said. “They can be housebroken to use litter boxes or to go outside. They generally have a docile temperament.”
Katie DeClaire, another Benicia resident, expressed support for Moore’s ordinance. She remarked how she grew up with cats and dogs and loved having pets. However, her husband has severe allergies, making it difficult for them to own felines or cainines.
“Now we have children and would love to give them pets,” she said. “My husband and I have always talked about having a pig one day.”
She encouraged the council to vote in favor of the ordinance.
Councilmember Alan Schwartzman suggested including additional items in the ordinance, including prohibiting breeding, requiring neutering and allowing spaying unless a vet deems it to be unsafe. He also suggested including a list of breeds, which Christiansen disagreed with.
“I would prefer to see it just say ‘mini pig,’” she said. “They’re all really the same thing. I would probably just state ‘mini pig,’ and let it define itself that way. I think you’re better off than just saying any one type.”
Schwartzman suggested a definition was necessary. McLaughlin suggested adding teacup pigs to the list of miniatures, removing the size and weight requirements and adding phrases like “which is not a farm pig or a hog.” Young also suggested “including, but not limited to.”
The council unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance, which certainly was a much-discussed topic on the agenda that night. However— to paraphrase a famous animated pig—, that was not all, folks. In other business, the council unanimously adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Benicia Industrial Park Transportation and Employment Center Plan and voted 4-1 to approve the plan as presented, the sole “no” vote coming from Hughes. The council also unanimously voted to agendize a discussion of the city’s policy regarding dogs in public parks after the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission has its next regularly scheduled meeting on July 12.
The council’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 16.